


like smoke darkening the sky

by soulofme



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, M/M, Season/Series 07 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 11:51:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofme/pseuds/soulofme
Summary: "Are you okay, Shiro?"“No,” he says, the word cracking as soon as he gets it out.Just like that, his armor crumbles. Shiro leans forward, resting his forehead against the railing, staring blankly at his feet as hot tears trail out of his eyes. He feels himself shaking, hard enough that the bed trembles, and he bites back a sob when he feels Keith’s hand tangle into his hair.





	like smoke darkening the sky

**Author's Note:**

> s7 gave me a lot of feels so here we are

When he arrives at Keith’s hospital room, Krolia is standing outside, leaning against the wall. She straightens when she gets sight of him, her crossed arms falling to her side.

“Shiro,” she says, voice hardly louder than a whisper.

He gives her a tense smile.

“How’s Keith?”

“Well,” she says, her eyes softening from their initial surprise. “He’s going to pull through. He's a fighter.”

“You’re right about that,” Shiro agrees. Krolia hums softly.

“He asked about you as soon as he woke up,” she says. “He wanted to know if you were okay.”

“I’m fine,” Shiro says. It doesn’t feel as true as he’d like it to. “Is he up to visitors?”

“He’d be happy to see you,” Krolia says. She pauses, staring hard at a spot on the ground. “I’m just glad he’s okay. When I heard what happened, I was so worried. I can't lose him."

“You won't,” Shiro says, squeezing her shoulder. “I won’t be long.”

“Take as long as you need,” Krolia says, beginning to step away. “Kolivan went to get food. I’ll go join him.”

Shiro smiles again, more genuine than before.

“Thank you, Krolia.”

She nods just as he steps into the room. Keith is awake, staring at whatever is playing on the television mounted on the wall. He doesn’t look away from the screen, but his lips curl into a grin.

“You okay, Mom?”

“…Keith.”

Keith sits up straight, his head jerking towards Shiro. His mouth opens and closes before he inhales, loud enough that Shiro can hear it.

“You’re okay,” Keith mutters.

Shiro pulls up a chair beside the bed.

“I had some pretty great people watching my back,” he says. He clears his throat quietly. “I’m sorry. I would’ve come earlier, but…”

“It’s fine, Shiro,” Keith reassures him. He leans against the railing of his bed, studying Shiro’s face. “Hey.”

“Yeah?”

Keith’s eyebrows furrow the longer he looks at Shiro. Shiro shifts self-consciously underneath his intense stare, a lump forming in his throat. He feels it, the strings holding him together beginning to loosen, and his mind goes blank. Keith can’t see him like this. Shiro has to be strong, has to be strong for _Keith_.

“Are you okay, Shiro?”

Shiro exhales loudly and presses his back against the hard-plastic chair, tilting his head towards the ceiling so that Keith doesn’t have to see him blink away tears.

“No,” he says, the word cracking as soon as he gets it out.

Just like that, his armor crumbles. Shiro leans forward, resting his forehead against the railing, staring blankly at his feet as hot tears trail out of his eyes. He feels himself shaking, hard enough that the bed trembles, and he bites back a sob when he feels Keith’s hand tangle into his hair.

“I’m sorry, Shiro,” Keith says, his voice thick. “I’m so _sorry_.”

That’s what breaks him down fully, hearing that hurt in Keith’s voice. He grabs a fistful of the rough hospital sheets in his hand, inhaling the smell of bleach and squeezing his eyes shut to alleviate the burning sensation forming behind his eyelids.

It feels like hours before Shiro can lift his head and meet Keith’s eyes. There’s a gentleness behind his movements, a softness that Keith hardly shows anyone else. He feels Keith brush his thumbs beneath his eyes, wiping away the tears.

“I wanted to talk to Adam,” he whispers. Keith’s mouth parts, but no words come out. Shiro pushes on. “I wanted to apologize. I wanted to see how he ended up without me.”

“I…”

“I lost my friends, too,” Shiro continues, the realization feeling like he’s been hit in the gut. “So many people _died_ , Keith. People that I should’ve protected. People that I failed.”

“You didn’t fail anyone,” Keith says, a sharp edge to his voice. “Shiro, none of this is your fault. Adam, your friends, they believed in you. They trusted you, and they wouldn’t be mad at you. Not because of this.”

“I wish I could’ve done more. I wish I could’ve saved them all.”

“I know,” Keith mumbles, his fingers softly brushing through Shiro’s fringe. “You did everything you could, Shiro. You fought well. You were so brave. You were a hero. You _are_ a hero.”

Shiro’s breath gets stuck in his throat at that. Keith hand falls away from his forehead. He lays back, his face turned towards Shiro. Shiro stares at the bandage wrapped around his head, at the thick pink scar on his cheek.

“How can you say that?” Shiro says, reaching towards Keith’s cheek. He flinches when his fingers make contact with the scar. “I hurt you. I could’ve killed you, if you hadn’t stopped me. How can you still trust me after all of that?”

“I’ve always trusted you,” Keith says, sounding so honest that it’s impossible to think he’s saying this just for the hell of it. Keith has always been blunt and to the point, except in matters concerning himself. He wouldn’t show this side to Shiro if he didn’t want him to see it. “And I always will.”

The thought makes him feel warm all over, prompting him to curl his hand over Keith’s.

“We’re gonna save them, Shiro,” Keith promises fiercely. “As many as we can. We’re gonna save everyone in the universe.”

“Legendary defenders,” Shiro murmurs absently. “Let’s end this together, yeah?”

Keith intertwines their fingers, his cautious smile widening when Shiro beams at him.

“Together,” Keith says, squeezing their joined hands. “Always.”

“Always,” Shiro breathes. He likes the sound of that. He likes the sound of that a _lot_.

Keith’s thumb rubs against the back of his hand. Shiro loses himself in the comforting touch, leaning on Keith as much as he can. For now, he thinks, he’ll let someone else shoulder his weight. Someone who has been there for him through everything, someone who will stand even if Shiro falls.

“It’s going to be okay. No matter how this ends. You’re going to be okay.”

Shiro lets himself believe the words.

**Author's Note:**

> I just have to say that season 7 was just as beautiful and heartbreaking as I thought it would be. I'm beyond satisfied with it and loved seeing all of the characters grow in their own way. It was just fantastic!!! I could scream about it for a thousand years tbh ;-;


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